1921-2013 – Sydney Berne preferred oil painting, but he also worked with acrylics, watercolours, graphite, ink, etching, linocut and clay. He was renowned for his landscapes, seascapes and street scenes.
Berne attended Central Technical School in Toronto where he studied watercolour under Peter Haworth and Carl Shaefer, an associate of the Group of Seven and sculpture under Florence Wyle. During World War II, he joined the Canadian Forces where his artistic talents were employed illustrating training and field manuals. After the war, he studied Abstract Expressionism under André Paul in Paris before returning home.
In 1946 Berne settled in Montreal, and it was here that he was inspired to create the picturesque Laurentian landscapes and city street scenes for which he became known. His work was widely exhibited in both group and solo exhibitions across Canada and in the US and England. Notable solo exhibitions included: Garfield Gallery, Toronto, 1962; Lyn Kottler Gallery, New York City, 1970; Rockhill Complex, Montreal, 1973; and Galerie des Peintures Canadiens, 1976. His work was included in numerous group shows held in Toronto, Montreal, Quebec City, Winnipeg, Vancouver and New York City.
His work is on display in many public buildings in Montreal and Toronto, and numerous private collections. When Tilly, who was the love of his life, died, Berne donated countless paintings to hospitals and charities in her name, raising tens of thousands of dollars. Sydney Berne died at the age of 92.
For all you deep art divers out there.
More on Sydney Berne’s teachers: Peter Haworth, Carl Schaefer and Florence Wyle.
More on Abstract Expressionism.
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